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LG reports more virus cases at headquarters building

LG Twin Towers in Yeouido in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District houses LG Group's main affiliates like LG Electronics, LG Chem and LG Display. Courtesy of LG GroupMore employees of LG Electronics Inc. working at its headquarters building in Seoul have been infected with the new coronavirus, company officials said Wednesday, prompting the tech firm to expand its remote working system. So far, five employees of LG Electronics have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two days, forcing the company to partially shutter the West Building of LG Twin Towers in Yeouido, western Seoul. LG has closed floors six through nine of the building and ordered all employees working on those floors to receive virus tests. To better curb virus infections inside the building, LG said all of its workers are ordered to work from home until Friday. Last month, LG partially shuttered the East Building of LG Twin Towers after a child at its in-house day care center tested positive for the novel coronavirus.LG Twin Towers is home to LG Group's main affiliates, including LG Electronics, LG Chem Ltd. and LG Dis

Sep 23, 2020
LG reports more virus cases at headquarters building

Korea's disease control head included on TIME 100 list

Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Jeong Eun-kyeong leads a briefing at the agency's headquarters in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Sept. 22. YonhapJeong Eun-kyeong, South Korea's anti-virus czar, has been included on the TIME 100 list of the world's most influential people, the magazine announced Wednesday.Jeong, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), is the only South Korean figure included on this year's list.She has been serving as the "field commander" of the country's fight against COVID-19, which is said to be a global example. Many agree that she has gained public trust for her relevant role and work.President Moon Jae-in noted her "decency and dedication" in his message to TIME.She has been leading the nation's anti-virus efforts "to success by candidly interacting with the public, based on the principles of openness, transparency and democracy," he said."She has personally held daily briefings to release transparent updates on the number of confirmed cases; the origins of their infections; and the latest f

Sep 23, 2020
Korea's disease control head included on TIME 100 list

New virus cases bounce back to over 100 on untraceable cases

Seoul Gangdong-gu District Mayor Lee Jung-hun, left, meets one of the merchants at Dunchon-dong Subway Station street market in the district's Dunchon-dong area on Sept. 22. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 100 on Wednesday, snapping three consecutive days of a two-digit rise, as sporadic cluster infections, coupled with untraceable cases, continued to pop up across the country.The country added 110 more COVID-19 cases, including 99 local infections, raising the total caseload to 23,216, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).Wednesday's daily tally marks a sharp increase from 61 cases reported Tuesday, the lowest number since Aug. 13, when the comparable figure was 56. The country had reported less than 100 new virus cases for the third consecutive day since Sunday.The country's new daily infections had been in triple digits for more than a month since Aug. 14 due to cases tied to a church in Seoul and an anti-government rally before briefly falling below 100. Health authorities said the daily new cases are showing signs

Sep 23, 2020
New virus cases bounce back to over 100 on untraceable cases

Korea braces for Chuseok holiday

By Jun Ji-hyeMinistries, government organizations and municipal administrations are rushing to draw up countermeasures against a possible spike in the number of COVID-19 infections during the five-day Chuseok holiday that starts Sept. 30.Chuseok is one of Korea's biggest annual celebrations, during which millions of people travel to their hometowns nationwide to perform ancestral commemoration ceremonies and spend time with their family members. The health authorities are concerned ahead of this Chuseok holiday as the country has already experienced a surge in the number of new daily coronavirus cases during the so-called “golden holiday” between April 30 and May 5, and during the three-day holiday from Aug. 15 Liberation Day to the one-off national holiday, Aug. 17.Specifically, the country's daily tally of new cases has been in triple digits since Aug. 13 amid a second wave of infections, although for the last three days the total has stayed below 100.Based on these experiences, the government is asking people to refrain from visiting their hometowns or places where man

Sep 22, 2020
Korea braces for Chuseok holiday

Free flu shots program temporarily halted

A nurse holds a flu vaccine at a clinic in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, Tuesday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the same day that the government will temporarily halt its plan to offer free seasonal flu vaccines due to problems reported during vaccine transport. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiThe Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Tuesday that government has postponed free vaccinations for influenza due to problems detected during the transport of the vaccine.“We had reports yesterday that 5 million doses of the flu vaccine, which needs to be refrigerated, had been exposed to room temperatures while being transported to medical institutions,” KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong said during an emergency briefing at the agency's building in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. “We cannot rule out the possibility of quality problems if the vaccine is exposed to room temperature,” said Moon Eun-hee, director of the Pharmaceutic

Sep 22, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Free flu shots program temporarily halted

Gov't temporarily halts free flu shots scheme over storage mishap

A nurse shows seasonal flu vaccines at a hospital in southern Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapSouth Korea will temporarily halt its plan to offer free seasonal flu vaccines due to storage issues involving inactivated bottles, health authorities here said Tuesday.The government was to provide free flu shots to around 19 million people, or 37 percent of the country's population. Children between 6 months and 18 years old, pregnant women and those aged 62 years old or above were included.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said some of around 5 million doses of flu vaccines were partially exposed to temperatures outside the storage range.Inactivated vaccines should be stored in refrigerators, and exposure to room temperature could result in decreased vaccine potency and increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.As autumn is approaching, the government was to provide free flu shots, as it is not easy to distinguish the novel coronavirus and flu patients due to similar symptoms, such as coughing, a sore throat and fever. (Yonhap)

Sep 22, 2020
Gov't temporarily halts free flu shots scheme over storage mishap

Cancer still leading cause of death in Korea

GettyimagesbankCancer remained the top cause of death in South Korea, a government report showed Tuesday.In 2019, a total of 295,110 deaths were reported in South Korea, down 1.2 percent from a year earlier. It marked the first annual decline since 2013. The statistics agency said 574.8 deaths were reported per 100,000 South Koreans last year. It also said 158.2 per 100,000 people died of cancer last year. Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death in the country since 1983.Heart disease is the second-largest cause of death for South Koreans, with 60.4 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by pneumonia with 45.1 deaths per 100,000 people.The 10 leading causes of death included cerebrovascular disease, suicide, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's disease made it to the top 10 list in 2018 for the first time since 1983.Among the 10 leading causes of death, heart disease, pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease are on the rise, while cerebrovascular disease and diabetes are on the decline, according to the statistics agency.The report showed suicide remained the No. 1 cause of death for

Sep 22, 2020
Cancer still leading cause of death in Korea

US CDC takes down coronavirus airborne transmission guidance

In this Sept. 16, 2020, file photo, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield puts his mask back on after speaking at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on a "Review of Coronavirus Response Efforts," on Capitol Hill, in Washington. The CDC has stirred confusion, by posting, and then taking down, an apparent change in its position on how easily the coronavirus can spread through the air. APThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday took down its guidance warning on possible airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus, saying that the draft recommendation was posted in error. The now-withdrawn guidance, posted on the agency's website on Friday, recommended that people use air purifiers to reduce airborne germs indoors to avoid the disease from spreading. "CDC is currently updating its recommendations regarding airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Once this process has been completed, the update language will be posted," the agency said. The CDC did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment on when

Sep 22, 2020
US CDC takes down coronavirus airborne transmission guidance

No. of new virus cases lowest since Aug. 13

A sculpture of brother and sister is pictured with protective masks on as people stroll in a park amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Seoul, Sept. 21, 2020. ReutersSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 100 for the third consecutive day Tuesday as the country's virus fight is at a critical juncture ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the Korean version of Thanksgiving. Millions are set to travel across the nation next week to celebrate the five-day holiday.The country added 61 more COVID-19 cases, including 51 local infections, raising the total caseload to 23,106, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).Tuesday's daily tally marks the lowest number since Aug. 13 when the comparable figure was 56.The new virus cases also mark a further drop from the 82 and 70 cases reported Sunday and Monday, respectively. The country's new daily infections had been in the triple digits since Aug. 14 due to cases tied to a church in Seoul and an anti-government rally, until falling below 100 over the weekend.On Sunday, the government decided to ex

Sep 22, 2020
No. of new virus cases lowest since Aug. 13
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